The invention relates to a device for guiding a loading floor of a motor vehicle, the height of which floor can be adjusted manually.
Devices of the type under discussion here are known (DE 199 06 648 A1). The device is used to guide a loading floor provided in the luggage compartment of a motor vehicle and comprises two identical guide rails which are spaced apart from one another and in which the loading floor is slidably mounted. The guide rails each have a rail section which runs obliquely with respect to an imaginary horizontal and the end of which is adjoined by a second rail section running approximately parallel to the horizontal. On account of this configuration of the guide rails, the loading floor can be adjusted into a lower position and into a higher, upper position, in order, for example with the seat arrangement folded down, to create a level compensation (i.e. a flat loading surface) comprising a loading floor and the rear side of the seat backrest. It has been found that the loading floor often tends to become tilted or wedged in the guide rails. To avoid this, the operator has to accurately guide the loading floor during adjustment, needing both hands to do so.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device of the type described in the introduction which allows simple and functionally reliable operation of the loading floor with one hand. This device should preferably be of a simple and inexpensive structure.
To achieve the object, the invention proposes a device that is distinguished by lever parts which are arranged opposite one another and can be pivoted about a second spindle and on which the loading floor is pivotably mounted. The lever parts are designed and pivotably mounted in such a manner that, as a result of a pivoting movement of the lever parts about the second spindle the loading floor can be adjusted between a lower loading floor position and an upper loading floor position. The loading floor whose height can be adjusted manually therefore executes a partial circular motion about the second spindle when it is pivoted. On account of this configuration of the device, the loading floor is guided in a simple and accurate way, preferably without any lateral play, so that a uniform movement of the loading floor is readily achievable. This provides an operator with the option of adjusting the height of the loading floor using just one hand. The device is distinguished by a high operational reliability, high comfort of operation and a simple structure. The supporting of the loading floor by the pivotable lever parts also has the advantage that in the event of a crash the energy produced are absorbed by the bearing arrangement, and consequently the loading floor does not endanger any passengers sitting in the back seats.
The pivotability of the loading floor about the first spindle allows the loading floor to be folded/moved upward during the height adjustment, so that the operator can individually determine the position of inclination to which he would like to adjust the loading floor.
In one particularly advantageous embodiment of the device, the loading floor forms the floor surface of the luggage compartment of the motor vehicle and can be pivoted about the first spindle in both the lower loading floor position and the upper loading floor position. One advantage of this embodiment is that this makes the space below the loading floor accessible. This means that when the loading floor is arranged in the upper position objects can be stored therein. Furthermore, even when the loading floor is arranged in the lower position, it is still possible to gain access to the area located beneath it, in which, for example, a spare wheel, tools or other equipment for the motor vehicle are stored.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the device, the loading floor is supported on one side. In other words, the lever parts, during the adjustment operation, are the only locations supporting the loading floor, which is therefore supported only on the motor vehicle bodyshell. The result of this is that the height of the loading floor can be adjusted independently of, for example, the position of the backrest of the bank of rear seats, which can preferably be folded down.
In another preferred embodiment, the first and second spindles, which are arranged at a distance from one another, run parallel to one another and transversely or substantially transversely with respect to the vehicle longitudinal axis, thereby ensuring good handling properties of the loading floor.
Furthermore, a yet another preferred exemplary embodiment of the device is distinguished by the fact that in the upper loading floor position the first spindle is arranged above the second spindle, as seen in the direction of the force of gravity, specifically in such a manner that the resulting forces which are transmitted via the loading floor to the lever parts are oriented substantially in the direction of the bearing center of the lever parts. The result of this is that the lever parts, in the upper loading floor position, are not subject to torque from the weight of the loading floor itself and any loads placed on it. Therefore, the forces of the weight are completely or substantially completely introduced into the bearing arrangement of the lever parts.
According to a further development of the invention, in the lower loading floor position the first spindle is arranged below the second spindle, as seen in the direction of the force of gravity. In this case, the first spindle is arranged in such a way with respect to the second spindle that torque is applied to the lever parts by the force of the weight of the loading floor. This torque is directed in the pivoting direction of the loading floor during the adjustment of the loading floor from the lower loading floor position into the upper loading floor position. As a result, at the start of the adjustment operation the loading floor develops its own dynamics, making it easier for the operator to adjust the height.
According to another preferred exemplary embodiment of the device, there is a device for limiting the pivoting angle of the lever parts, preventing the loading floor from being excessively rotated about the second spindle and, moreover, preferably defining the limit positions of the lever parts when the loading floor is in the upper and/or lower position.
According to another preferred exemplary embodiment of the device, for the pivotably movable bearing of the loading floor on the lever parts there is in each case a bearing journal arranged in a bearing bore. The bearing journals, which are preferably supported resiliently in the direction of the first spindle, are, for example, arranged on the loading floor. As an alternative to the bearing journals, for the purpose of reinforcing the loading floor and/or the lever mechanism and to prevent tilting of the loading floor, it is possible to provide a rigid, continuous transverse strut (bearing spindle), the free ends of which are arranged in the bearing bores. The transverse strut preferably has a circular, in particular round, cross section in order to ensure that the loading floor can be successfully pivoted.
In an advantageous variant embodiment, supporting of the rigid transverse strut on the lever parts is such that manufacturing and/or bearing tolerances in the transverse and longitudinal directions of the vehicle and perpendicular to the vehicle longitudinal axis are compensated for. For this purpose, the rigid transverse strut is supported by means of a radial bearing arrangement at one end and by means of an axial bearing arrangement (e.g. a ball bearing) at its other end.
In a further exemplary embodiment of the device, the loading floor can be fixed in the lower loading floor position and the upper loading floor position by means of a locking device. The locking device can be actuated, for example, by the operator gripping a grip hollow provided in the loading floor. Other variant embodiments are possible.
Finally, another preferred exemplary embodiment of the device is distinguished by the fact that at least one of the lever parts is subject to spring force (Arrow FS in FIG. 1) in order to overcome a dead center position of the lever parts. The at least one spring element presses or pulls the lever parts out of the dead center position, in which self-locking of the lever mechanism may occur. This improves the ease of adjustment of the loading floor further. The dead center position of the lever parts is dependent on the size of the operator and the resulting setting angle of the loading floor with respect to the horizontal. The dead center position is not usually restricted to a very specific position of the loading floor, but rather extends over an angle range. As an alternative or in addition, with the aid of the at least one spring element 30 (shown schematically in FIG. 1), at least one of the lever parts can be pulled or pressed out of an undefined position located between the lower loading floor position and the upper loading floor position into a predetermined limit position, preferably the lower limit position.